Improvement in gr



FFIG.

WILLIAM P. GREENOUGH AND WILLIAM A. MORRISON, OF CAMBRIDGE,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAPPLINGWRJECTHIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ll3,4t57, dated October17, 1876 application filed September 11, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM I. GREEN- OUGH and WILLIAM A. MonnIsoN, ofCambridge, of the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Grappling-Projectiles and dohereby declare the same to be fully described in the followingspecification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of whichFigure 1 denotes a side elevation, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, andFig. 3 an end View, of a projectile embodying our invention.

The articlein question is to be discharged from a gun or cannon, and isfor the purpose of carrying a rope over a stranded vessel, or from suchto land.

In the drawings, A. denotes a metallic shank, provided atits ends withtwo cylindrical heads, a b, to one of which (viz., b) a series of linkedarms, 13, likethearms of an anchor, is hinged, the said arms beingarranged .in the head at equal distances asunder. There is fixed to theshank a set of springs, E, to bear against the arms, in order to forcethem away from the shank. Each arm, when at its outermost position,makes an acute angle with the shank and brings up against a shoulder, c.In advance of the series of linked arms, and fixed to their head I), isan elastic hunter or wadding,

O, composed of vulcanized rubber. Furthermore, there is to the shank andnear its head a a swinging bail, D, applied so as to fold forward uponthe shank, and made so as to be capable of being swung back into linewith the axis of such shank. The bail, shaped or made as represented,is, when in use, to have a rope fixed to its end or eye d.

In using the projectile, it is to be inserted, hunter foremost, into agun or cannon previously loaded with a sufficient charge of gunpowder.The charge, on being exploded, will act against the hunter and expand itinto and against the bore of the piece, thereby renderin g the chargemore effective in discharge of the projectile than it would be withoutthe hunter thereto.

The projectile, after passing from the gun, will turn so as to bring thehunter head foremost. The hunter will prevent injury to a ship or objectshould it be struck by the projectile. I: also will operate to preventinjury to the projectile by the force oi the blow as well as by that ofthe explosion of the charge used in expelling the projectile from a gun.

By having the two heads to the shank, the projectile becomes betterbalanced in its flight, and can be forced either end foremost from agun.

We claim as our invention- 1. The grappling-projectile, substantially asdescribed, consisting of the shank A, heads a Z), series offluked armsB, springs E, hunter 0, and hail D, all arranged and applied essentiallyas set forth.

2. The combination of the shank A, provided with two heads, a b, withthe series of fiuked arms and their springs, arrai'iged as specified.

WM. 1?. ennnnooen. WM. A. MORRISON.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. It. SNOW.

